


The Welcome Mat

by urusai_lilania



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alcohol, Brothers, Coffee, Friendship, Gen, Housewarming, revels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:55:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22357537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/urusai_lilania/pseuds/urusai_lilania
Summary: It wasn't that Loki wasn't a social person, no. It was that he found the company of those around him to be particularly droll--that's where the pranks came in, growing up. But now he was an adult, and--as a proper adult should--he had his own home. In New York. ...After he tried to invade it. Well, he succeeded in invading it, he mused. Just not conquering it.He just hadn't thought about what sort of people would be showing up on his doorstep, is all.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	The Welcome Mat

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've sat on this one a long time trying to decide where to end it, only to realize I wanted to continue it beyond the initial ramble. So, here it is? Pff.

Loki let slip an exasperated sigh from his lips as he wondered why he hadn’t just disabled the doorbell to his flat. It emitted an annoyingly cheerful tone at any hour, particularly when it meant that he was then expected to answer the door. He was unused to answering his own door. He was unused to having _guests_ , of course, but that was the issue with Asgard—no one particularly wanted to see him, _ever_. When he wasn’t being locked away for one reason or another, he was being chastised and punished. So perhaps he wasn’t the most _gracious_ of hosts either, but was that his problem? No. His problem was his coffee was growing cold in his hands as he stared at the smaller man standing before him. “Curious as to why you’re here,” he stated finally.

“Ah, that,” Tony Stark replied, brushing past Loki and into the apartment proper. “They’re all out there doing God knows what— _do_ you know what? Oh, right, you’re an ass, not an Áss.”

With a softly restrained sigh, Loki shut the door and gripped at his coffee in a desperate bid for control. Entertaining guests had never been his strong point. He was more than capable of entertaining _himself_ at a guest’s expense, certainly, but it did require a certain amount of energy. He was rather low on that, if he were to be perfectly honest, which meant he would never admit to it and simply struggle about with his ebbing energy levels until he accomplished some sort of ruse. But if recent events held up, he might have to become used to entertaining unsolicited guests. Just one of the many sacrifices to keeping a nice flat in New York (which hadn’t been his idea of course, but now that it was done he was stubbornly holding onto his property, simply for the fact that _it was his_ ). “Why are you here, Tony Stark?”

Glancing critically about the sparsely-furnished apartment, Tony said, “I heard you got a place; thought you could use a house-warming gift.”

Loki arched an eyebrow and looked the smirking human over. “Yet you come to my abode empty-handed.”

With a flourishing spin on his feet, Tony declared, “I _am_ the house-warming gift. Clever, huh?”

“Indeed…” Clever wasn’t the word Loki would use. Cheap, maybe. “Well, if you don’t mind…”

“Don’t mind if I do!” cheered the unwanted guest, throwing himself into Loki’s lounge chair and kicking his feet up. With a roll of his eyes, Loki sat down, far more composed, on his couch. It was just as comfortable as the recliner, really, but it was the principle of the thing. “So Thor said you’re adopted.”

Loki scowled, straightening in his seat. “What does _that_ matter?”

Extending his arms wide, Tony remarked, “I thought you could give me some pointers.”

Oh? A sign of interest finally graced Loki’s features, if only momentarily. “The great heir of the Starks, adopted?”

“Yep. All very hush-hush, same as you.”

“Why?”

“Not for my sake, I can tell you that much.”

“But, if I am not mistaken… you take after your lineage quite apparently.” Loki had fiddled about with the odd technology known as the Internet well enough to become familiar with his brother’s antics and his close associates—including, naturally, Tony Stark. Loki knew quite a bit about the fool, enough to understand that it was entirely within Tony’s character to come barging in to bother him on a quiet afternoon. Whether it was for reconnaissance or sport was another matter entirely.

“I could say the same of you, yeah? I can’t tell any difference between you and Thor or his buddies. The way Agent Coulson told it you were all pretty equal. Anyway, you didn’t know until recently either, right?”

Scowling, Loki shook his head. “No, I did not.”

Leaning forwards in his seat, Tony stared with… was that genuine interest? “How’d you find out?”

Sighing softly and rolling his eyes, Loki rested his coffee against his thigh. “That idiot brother of mine decided to take on Jotunheim with his ‘buddies’ and me. Naturally, he caused a commotion. He always did. In our fight to escape, one laid a hand on me. Instead of severely injuring me, it simply turned my arm like their own. I later tested my suspicions and confronted Odin about it in person.”

“Level-headed and observant, huh?” Tony leaned back in his seat and seemed to mull over what he had just learned. It wasn’t much, really, but it was more than Loki ever discussed the matter so the odds of another human knowing it were slim to none. Loki didn’t bother to correct Tony’s observation; he had a feeling it was meant sarcastically, and if it happened it wasn’t, well, that was well and good, wasn’t it?

Sipping at his coffee, Loki considered what it was to be a host. Finally, painfully, he asked, “And you?”

Tony grimaced. “Ah, well…”

Arching an eyebrow, the raven-haired god said, “So you want me to talk and you to listen?”

“Sorta, yeah. I’m not really supposed to talk about it. Keep it close to the chest, that sort of deal… And I’m not sure anyone would believe me, anyway. I don’t know if _I_ believe it.”

With a smirk, Loki waggled his fingers in the air. “I’m sure there’s information _somewhere_ to confirm it. I highly doubt whatever being raised you was gifted in the ways of discrepancy.”

This observation was met with a flippant flip of the wrist. “You’d be surprised. Got anything stronger than coffee lying around?”

Glancing about his new home and raising his mug to his lips, Loki considered the question. Midgardian alcohol was rather weak, according to Thor. He hadn’t been wrong on the merits of coffee, however. “Not yet.” Sure, he’d procured basic necessities just yesterday, having gone shopping under the veil of an illusion. He was certain most people of New York were not particularly willing to see _his_ face. Nothing had been done to repair his standing with the populace, after all.

“Mm. Fine. Give me a minute.”

Whipping out a slick, one-of-a-kind phone, Tony tapped at it for a moment before putting it away just as silently. The grin plastered across his face was unsettling to Loki, so he decided it was in his best interest to ignore his guest and sip away at his coffee. He had made it black, as it was his brother that enjoyed sweet things, and it was rather satisfying this way. Before he could manage a good taste again, however, the infernal doorbell rang out once more.

Loki’s green eyes cut from Tony Stark lounging so casually in his chair to the door. The doorbell sounded again. Sighing, the jotun-god climbed onto his feet, his long, meticulous stride towards the door… When he opened it, he was face to face with a fitful, thickly-built man in a suit. “Boss’ things. Where do I put them?”

Heaving a long, reedy sigh, Loki stepped aside to allow the strange servant into his home. “Hey, Happy!” Tony said cheerfully with a wave of his hand. “You’re a good sport.”

“Shouldn’t you be elsewhere…?” Happy protested, cutting a not-so-secretive glance at the curious god. Sensing the servant’s unease, Loki allowed a serpent-like smile to slither across his lips. Happy’s eyes doubled and somehow narrowed with suspicion at the very same time.

Giving his long-time employee a mock salute, Tony grinned. “I’m good, Happy. I promise. Go check on Pepper, would you? Just don’t tell her where I am. She’ll be thrilled.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Happy muttered, shaking his head. “You sure you don’t need me? Absolutely sure? I’m excellent in a pinch.”

“Yes, Happy. Shoo! Thanks for hauling the booze. You’re done.”

“Yes, well… okay. I’ll be with Ms. Potts then,” Happy announced, as if it had been his duty and his idea alone. Walking past Loki, he let himself out.

Loki had taken to leaning against the far wall during the little conversation, and had finally managed to finish his coffee. Digging around in his box of toys, Tony remarked, “You know, we were supposed to have drinks, ages ago. So you owe me now.”

“For destroying your house?”

“Eh, I got a new one. Wasn’t you that did the damage anyway, you just hijacked it and turned it into a damn wormhole tower,” Tony muttered with a shudder. This didn’t escape Loki’s notice. The man had an obvious distaste when it came to remembering the battle of New York. Why then, would he come here and play guest to Loki, the instigator? “I realize you gods handle your liquor a lot better than us mere ants, but do me a favor and play along for the day.”

Would it hurt to acquiesce, Loki wondered? Tony was in his home for one reason or another, and it may prove difficult to peacefully extricate him. Loki didn’t particularly feel like testing the man. He’d had a hard enough time acquiring his flat, mostly through pulled strings via Thor, who had held apartments on Midgard occasionally… and it may very well be that Tony himself was involved. He and the good soldier were viewed as joint leaders of their merry troupe of fools, after all. “Why not?” he said finally, waltzing over to the couch once more. “What sort of devilish liquor do you carry on your person?”

“All kinds,” Tony remarked with a laugh. “You should bring some some time. I’d love to try something harder.”

Loki licked his lips and set his coffee mug on the appropriately named coffee table between them. “I confess, I do not drink often enough to carry anything on my person. Thor, however, does… You may find yourself in a hospital if you partake, mind. Mead might not be so bad for you…”

Waving a hand before his face, Tony said, “No no, that wouldn’t do. I want the special sauce.”

“Then prepare yourself for an early death and confront Thor. You will not find such joy with me.”

“Then partake of the human kind with me! You owe me.”

“I fail to see where I’ve acquired this debt…”

“Only _everything_.”

“No, still don’t see it,” Loki admitted with a twinkle in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. This was a game, to be sure, and Loki was quite adept at playing games.

Tony returned the smirk and lifted a bottle. “Do you at least have the appropriate glassware in this joint?”

“Who knows. What happens if I do not?”

“We drink from the bottle.”

“Eh, well, I cannot say Asgardians do not do the same. Liquor certainly brings out the vulgarity in a person.”

Tony’s brow quirked. “What sort of vulgarity do you have?”

With a broad shrug, Loki replied, “You are not looking at an Asgardian.”

“Then, a… a whatsit… Jotun?”

“As far as I know they rot in the ice. Who knows what they do for pleasure?”

“Rape and pillage?”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps not. It matters not.”

“You’re right! We’re getting off-topic. Whip out the glasses!”

Rolling his eyes, Loki walked into his kitchen and found where Thor had tossed the dishes. Excavating two healthy specimens, he rinsed them and patted them down before bringing them to the coffee table. “There. Is there anything else you require of me, sire?” Tony’s ego didn’t need any fluffing, but Loki’s curiosity was warming up. He always was guilty of being a cat with a mouse.

“Sit. Drink. Cheers,” Tony declared, lifting both glasses, now filled with a warm golden brown liquor. Accepting one, Loki eyed it, scoffed under his breath, and downed it.

“Cheers,” the jotun-god returned, delicately setting his glass on the table.

Tony’s grin grew beyond the limits of his face as he downed his own drink and mimicked his host. Yes, Loki was indeed a cat with a mouse. A very, very stupid mouse.

~~~

The moon was peeking through Loki’s glorious windows. Normally, it would be unable to do so on its own in this city landscape, but Loki was rather fond of the nighttime beauty and cast just the tiniest of illusions upon his home. What could it hurt? The Avengers knew he was here. If anyone else noticed, well… Perhaps they’d give him more entertainment than the sorry sop in his recliner.

Tony Stark had fallen asleep. At first, Loki wasn’t certain, not until a loud snore escaped his guest. “ _Finally_ ,” the god groaned, throwing his head back against the back of his couch to stare at the ceiling. “Whatever am I doing? This is nonsense.”

It really was. He was a king, by rights, and he was whittled down to nothing, spending his day drinking with a fool that had once been a rather bothersome pest. It wouldn’t do to call him an enemy, no— _Thor_ , maybe. But that came with the territory of being brothers of a sort.

Thor. He could help now, couldn’t he? He travelled Midgard all over, but he was in New York for now, staying close for the sake of the Avengers club. His brother did not carry a cell phone however, so Loki closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. Reaching out across the tendrils of space, Loki found the shining bauble that was Thor and said, “Brother, come extricate this fool of a friend of yours from my house.”

Thor could not reply, but there was no doubt that he had gotten the message. Loki couldn’t recall if he had ever relayed a message to his brother in such a fashion before, but the odds were slim. Truthfully, he had only used it to communicate with his mother in private—and _she_ could respond with ease.

His mind darkened, but he was not ready to think about it, so he shoved it back down in favor of his ever-present boredom, casting a glance at his snoozing guest. Tony Stark was a bit of a let-down, when it involved behaving badly. Loki had hoped for something more.

Then, oddly, there came a sturdy knocking at his door.

“ _Finally_.” He stood quickly, but not too quickly, for he was never fond of losing his composure, and strode towards the door. It was unexpected that Thor chose to knock of all things; the brute had a key. Ah well; better than bursting the door off its hinges. The flat wasn’t even a week old.

Casually swinging the door open, Loki leaned against the frame, legs and arms crossed. “Strange to see you use the door,” he commented idly, arching a brow.

“You have no balcony. You _insisted_ on no balcony,” Thor reminded his younger brother with a booming laugh.

“Only because I didn’t want you coming in that way.”

“You’re just jealous, as usual. You’re perfectly talented in your own right. I’m _proud_ of you, brother,” the blonde god said, beaming broadly as he gripped Loki’s shoulder.

“Look here—”

“No, no, I’m _serious_ , Loki. You’ve done something you were never capable of before! You’ve made a _friend_. Good on you!”

“He’s not my friend,” Loki hissed with annoyance, shrugging off his older brother’s invading hand. “He just showed up out of nowhere and demanded I drink with him.”

“Ah, but that is what Stark _does_ with friends!”

“Strangers too, I’d be willing to say,” Loki muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the snoring hero. He hardly looked heroic with his mouth hanging open. Was that drool?

“Brother, please. Do not be embarrassed of having a friend! Friends are _a good thing_ , despite what you think.”

“I’d like it very much if I were allowed to _choose_ my own friends. At my own pace. From people I actually _like_.”

Thor snorted, still grinning like a fool. Shaking his head, he walked over to the recliner and gently slapped Tony’s cheek with his palm. “Wake up, Stark. I have come to join in the revelry!”

“ _What_?” Loki demanded, turning around to glare wide-eyed at his damnable brother. “You’re here to haul his carcass out!”

“Never mind him,” Thor said to the slowly waking Tony, “he’s just embarrassed.”

“I am _not_ embarrassed!”

“He’s always been shy. Not good with others. His sense of humor is… curious,” Thor remarked with a healthy chuckle. “I try to include him sometimes, but he’s so stubborn! You know how it is.”

“I’m… I _was_ an only child,” Tony corrected himself, yawning.

“No, I meant you know what it’s like being so damn stubborn!” Thor laughed. From his jacket he withdrew his favorite flask and dangled it before his friend’s nose. “Fancy a drink?”

“Did it ever occur to either of you that perhaps I would like to sleep?” Loki groaned, reclaiming his seat on the couch with a sigh.

Thor scowled at the moon peeping in on them. “Loki, it’s not even noon! Stop being a sop and sit down!”

Rolling his eyes, Loki eyed Tony Stark in his recliner. The metal hero rubbed sleep from his eyes, only to look up at him with an embarrassed grin. “You’re looking more yourself, Loki.”

“You’re in my seat.”

“Pfff, then take it, if you want it so much.”

“Brother, do not be a bastard about this. You have plenty of furniture to go round!” And, to end the argument once and for all, Thor shoved his brother back down onto the couch beside him, only to set Mjolnir into his lap.

Loki visibly twitched.

Bursting out laughing, Tony toasted with Thor and threw back the Asgardian drink with relish. Thor smiled broadly to himself, bringing his drink to his lips and watching his foolish friend curiously. The revels had now begun!

**Author's Note:**

> Interested in chatting with me and other lost souls? Hit us up at my discord server [here](https://discord.gg/3TMx3vs)!


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